If you are a student of MBBS and you want to know How to prepare for NEET PG to pursue higher medical education i.e, MD or MS , you must first understand the NEET PG exam and must know the syllabus and also should know the examining body i.eb NBE and how it selects the appropriate candidates for precious Post Graduate Medical seats.
If you want to learn the basics of NEET PG exam and some details of the paper and examination centres, mode of test etc., you can visit my article on the basic information of the test.
After understanding the basic information and requirements of the exam, you must know certain aspects about yourself and PG preparation also.
How to prepare for NEET PG without coaching?
How to prepare for NEET PG?
Yes, it is quite possible to crack NEET PG without coaching. Here are some tips to follow:-
- First step to follow is that you must talk to your seniors regarding the preparation strategy.
- Collect resources to study like some institute notes or MCQ books to follow along your journey to NEET PG.
- Solve previous year questions and solve mock papers also.
- Define your goal and make long term and short term goals.
- Make a daily schedule and stick to it.
- Revise, Revise and Revise.
Read more on how to prepare for NEET PG in the next section
Before you start your preparation for NEET PG , here are some must know things. (How to prepare for NEET PG?)
How to prepare for NEET PG?
- Know where are you standing in your career:- Now that you have entered the medical college after a grueling NEET-UG test and you are going to Medical College and attending classes regularly, everything has stabilized and come to a standstill. This is the time when you can make or break yourself as a good and great doctor. So, it is important at this time to introspect into your life and see where are you standing in your career, what are the options ahead and what am I going to choose right now. Always remember, it is the choices that define a person who he really is, everything else like your passion and hard work is secondary to your choice.
- Ask yourself that why do you want to prepare for NEET PG ? What is the purpose behind becoming a specialist doctor ? What is wrong in being a General Practitioner? Answer these questions yourself and give yourself some time for understanding the in depth questions. Once you answer these questions, they will definitely fuel you for preparing for the exam.
- Are you interested in some specific branch of medicine like General Medicine, Surgery, Orthopedics etc. It is a good sign if you have developed interest in a certain branch of medicine which means you have a good aptitude for becoming a doctor. Suppose if you do not have yet given it a thought that whether or not you are interested in a certain field of Medicine, I will tell you some tips to follow to develop an interest in a certain branch or speciality:-
- Start reading the subjects more and more. By doing so you will come to know about many fascinating facts about human body and defence which might have some impression on you.
- Go for your clinical duties regularly and try to do the procedures on patients and interact with them for history taking and examination. This will definitely help you deeper understanding and concepts of medicine.
- Talk with your senior friends more and more about pros and cons of different branches of medicine. This will help you understanding the society’s perspective on medicine and how to deal with them.
- Interact with your professors and resident doctors whenever time permits and opportunity hails, trust me this is the juice of all the experience I have in my entire MBBS career. No one other than your elders can give you an advice better. Do follow them and be obedient to them, they will definitely be helping you in making tough decisions.
Are you motivated enough to prepare for NEET PG? ask yourself this question and answer honestly. One must be zealous and energetic and enthusiastic to start preparing for NEET PG because it is a long journey and competition is very high and increasing day by day. Do not start going to any random institute because your friend is also going. become your master and look for what fits you better.
Give yourself some time for thinking about the exam, talk to the seniors and take decision wisely.
Remember, NEET PG preparation is a marathon and not a sprint.
Read more on how to prepare for NEET PG in the next section
What is the right time to start NEET PG Preparation? (How to prepare for NEET PG?)
Today is the right time for preparation provided you have made up your mind fully for conquering the exam. But here are a few tips I would like to share with the NEET PG aspirants and I have compiled all these tips and rules in an article on When to start NEET PG preparation.
How to prepare for NEET PG while being at home? (How to prepare for NEET PG?)
How to prepare for NEET PG?
I personally find it very very difficult to prepare for NEET PG at home because of concentration and consistency issues. Having said that, I make sure the NEET PG aspirants about that fact that it is not a demotivation because many of my friends have secured brilliant ranks in the exam in 2020 while being at home for the entire year.
Here are a few tips on this:-
- Join some institute, either online or offline, because you do not want to bore yourself the entire time and at the same time you also want to make discussions with your friends who are competing for the exam like you. This will also help you in making a schedule regarding studying various subjects.
- Join Test and Discussion series for sure because T and D helps a lot in adressing the queries and secondly it is a stimulus based learning which makes the memory last longer.
- Subscribe to some online video lectures also so that every topic is available to you on the go while you are studying.
- Minimize your distractions while you are studying by switching off your phone. Make a healthy environment in your room which encourages you to study happily and healthily.
- Join a library. Last but not the least. A library or reading room will give you an environment around you to study for long hours.
Read more on how to prepare for NEET PG in the next section
Sources and book list to be followed for NEET PG preparation- (How to prepare for NEET PG?)
How to prepare for NEET PG?
Sources to follow for NEET PG preparation are numerous and confusing, so, one must know what is fit for you at your level and in which year of MBBS you are OR whether you are a dropper or fresher. To minimize the confusion, I have given a year wise list of sources for you as follows:
How to prepare for NEET PG If you are a Third Year MBBS Student?
How to prepare for NEET PG?
Choose only one online source, like, Either Marrow OR Prepladder But NEVER BOTH. Follow the source for all 19 subjects. Do a daily number of 30 MCQs minimum and 50 MCQs maximum till the end of fourth year. Follow Marrow or Prepladder question bank, subject wise tests and grand tests to check your hold on a particular subject and overall.
If you are enrolled with DBMCI or DAMS, attend live classes for all the subjects till Third Year in Third Year and in Fourth year focus on fourth year subjects only. In this way you will have hand made notes of all the subjects by the end of Fourth Year. During this process, you should also be practicing a daily number of 30 MCQs. Now, only Notes are never sufficient for NEET PG preparation and you cannot crack MCQs with notes only, you will have to read some MCQ books also. Here is a list of MCQ books as per the latest best Authors for every subject:-
- Anatomy:- Rajesh Kaushal
- Biochemistry:- Rebecca James
- Physiology:- Soumen Manna
- Pathology:- Devesh Mishra
- Pharmacology:- Gobind rai Garg
- Microbiology:- Apurba Sastry
- Forensic Medicine and Toxicology:- Arvind Arora
- PSM:- Vivek Jain
- Ophthalmology:- Ruchi Rai
- ENT:- Manisha Sinha and Sachin Budhiraja
- Medicine:- Dr. Deepak Marwah
- Surgery:- Pritesh Singh
- OBG:- Sakshi Arora’s both for Obs and Gynae.
- Pediatrics:- Taruna Mehra
- Dermatology:- Saurabh Jindal
- Psychiatry:- Praveen tripathi.
- Radiology:- Rajat Jain
- Orthopedics:- Apoorva Mehra
- Anaesthesia:- Follow only institute notes and Practice MCQs.
Read more on how to prepare for NEET PG in the next section
How to prepare for NEET PG If you are a Fourth Year MBBS Student?
How to prepare for NEET PG?
If you have subscribed to Prepladder Or Marrow, follow one of them but Never Both thoroughly so that you complete maximum number of subjects in fourth year itself, like you should complete fourth year, third year and second year subjects in fourth year from Marrow or Prepladder. Also practice a minimum number of 30 and maximum 60 MCQs daily from the respective sources. Complete remaining subjects in Inrernship and start revision.
If you are enrolled with DAMS or DBMCI,attend all the live or satellite classes in the fourth year itself and practice a daily MCQs number of 30 to maximum 60 and revise them carefully jotting down your mistakes and weaker topics. Where to do MCQs? DO NOT FOLLOW DAMS or DBMCI question bank as these are filled with mistakes and misprints. I have given a list of MCQ books from latest pattern and by the best faculties of the country. It is as follows:-
- Anatomy:- Rajesh Kaushal
- Biochemistry:- Rebecca James
- Physiology:- Soumen Manna
- Pathology:- Devesh Mishra
- Pharmacology:- Gobind rai Garg
- Microbiology:- Apurba Sastry
- Forensic Medicine and Toxicology:- Arvind Arora
- PSM:- Vivek Jain
- Ophthalmology:- Ruchi Rai
- ENT:- Manisha Sinha and Sachin Budhiraja
- Medicine:- Dr. Deepak Marwah
- Surgery:- Pritesh Singh
- OBG:- Sakshi Arora’s both for Obs and Gynae.
- Pediatrics:- Taruna Mehra
- Dermatology:- Saurabh Jindal
- Psychiatry:- Praveen tripathi.
- Radiology:- Rajat Jain
- Orthopedics:- Apoorva Mehra
- Anaesthesia:- Follow only institute notes and Practice MCQs.
Read more on how to prepare for NEET PG in the next section
How to prepare for NEET PG If you are a Third Year MBBS Student?
How to prepare for NEET PG?
If you wish to use an offline source, start with PREPLADDER without giving it a second thought because Prepladder is very concise and high yielding and can be completed in a course of one year. Marrow, forget that you can ever complete it in one year course, what to talk of revision.
Complete all the subjects in a course of first 6 months and then start revision. Solve at least 50 to 100 questions daily with revision and noting down the weaker topics.
Give subject wise tests and grand tests on a regular basis to check your status or preparation.
If you wish to use DAMS or DBMCI, Complete all the subjects by attending classes in first six months. Practice a daily number of MCQs of 50 to 100. Note down weaker topics and focus on those topics. Give Subject wise and grand tests on a regular basis. Do not follow any MCQ book if you are in internship or a drop year especially if you are starting afresh. Make use of online content of DAMS and DBMCI like their Question Bank and Test Series.
Another approach in Internship or Drop year, if you are starting afresh is to enroll yourself to Test and Discussion (T and D) only instead of a full fledged course of these institutes. This will help you study in a retrograde manner i.e, questions first and explanation and theory later. This also is very helpful in long term memory making. I personally followed Test and Discussion of DBMCI and it proved to be very helpful for me and I really recommentd you this over DAMS T and D.
You should choose on the basis of your wit and experience and the level of your preparation.
Read more on how to prepare for NEET PG in the next section
Which Institute for coaching for NEET PG should I choose? How to prepare for NEET PG?
Coaching Institute for NEET PG plays a pivotal role in shaping your preparation and showing you a way to crack the exam. The coaching institutes have National level faculty for teaching their students and they work very hard for their students to excel.
Personally speaking, it would have been very difficult for me to prepare for the entrance if I would not have joined the institute.
All coaching Institutes are excellent in teaching, although there are some pros and cons for every institute. I have written two separate articles on the coaching institues present in India at the moment, these are Marrow, Prepladder, DAMS and DBMCI.
Marrow and Prepladder are online coaching platforms and DAMS and DBMCI are offline coaching platforms. I have given a detailed guide in the above two articles.
Read more on how to prepare for NEET PG and other articles in gmcmedicine.com in the next section